Tiny Luttrell

But should he take pleasure in predicting the thing that is openly deprecated at the other side of the hearth, let him see to it that his prediction comes true, for otherwise he has whet

dinner at a very early date, she did not fail to prod Erskine as he deserved. But her thrust

rt; "but you see, you're wrong for once. Lady Dromard did mean what she said. She wants us all to dine there

ike to get out of it if yo

" remarked Ruth with a slight fl

, my dear; to tell you the

n't wan

t say I

olored

eason against going, nor any excuse for stopping away; and considering what you yourself

s an undemonstrative husband, very properly he had been more so than ever since others had been staying in

ly that one has a constitutional dislike to being taken up-and dropped. I have visions of all that.

that occasion, which accounted for his presence on this. The only other guests were an inevitable divine and his wife. The earl was absent. As if to conserve Christina's impression of the old clothes in which, as the natives said, his lordship "liked himself," Earl Dromard had left for London rather suddenly that morning

eter, too; he came over for a knock the other day; he means to play for us next week, if we're short, doesn't he?" Christina fancied so. Mr. Dromard said "Good!" with some emphasis, and Herbert's name dropped out of the conversation. This became Anglo-Australian, as it was sure to, and led to some of those bold comparisons for which Christina was generally to be trusted; but t

ing the Mundham plans for the following week. The cricket was to begin on the Tuesday. The men were coming the day before: half the Eton eleven, Tiny understood, and some older young fellows of Manister's standing. The first two were to be two-day matches against the county and a Marylebone te

like to play,"

seemed a lit

remarked, "and there will

game on your ground," Chris

ttrell?" asked the you

he chance," s

ent, and could imagin

of the kind here one evening betw

e chance," s

d in a doubtful tone, as though the need were greater than the chance; "we

Mr. Dromard," said

E

expect an

ut immediate flirtation. Stanley, however, was at a safe and privileged age, and no eye was on him but his brother's. Lord Manister gave the impression of being a rather dignified person in his own home, but he was doing his gracious d

positive excellence of either. The girl had no greater voice than one would have expected of so small a person, but what she had was in keeping. Lady Dromard, however, had a more sensitive appreciation of good taste than of good music, and she asked for more. Christina s

thusiasm. "You sing delightfully, and you sing deli

ush," said Chris

e from t

in Melbourne," put in Ruth

y said, smiling; "as

y Dromard to the young girl. "Your sister has promised to come

he nearest seat, found Lord Manister leaning over the end of th

to her under cover of the general conversation, w

nse simplicity; "but I can't tell you, because I am not aware that

whose quasi-humorous tone lacked the lightness

n have you seen me to offend me! I haven't seen you since your garden party

. "I don't reckon that I've seen you since-the photo

might have interested me if you had said-you were not going," she ad

ave thought, with his people, that he had been suffering the whole evening from acute boredom: you might well have fancied, with Lady Mary, that a remark disparaging Australian women would have met w

tically. "They are pleasant people, and quite

remarked, rather savagely

especially nice, a

of her," said Lor

. Yet she has met you in Australia; I should have recognized that, I think. Now her peopl

h; I suppose that'

for the colonials, and it surprised her; the next, she

married one is as young as she has any right to be-strike one as fresh, and free, and p

hrugged hi

se people didn't strike me as the only dec

ttle of that sort of devotion since his return from Australia. Nothing between them was as it had been before. This bitter coldness had been his domestic manner-his manner with her, of all people-longer than the mother could bear. She knew the reason; she had tried t

up with the other, as though they were so many ninepins. I am puzzled to know what you really mean, and what you mean satirically

ore his mother. "I won't put it more strongly. But I am glad that

her resolve; for he had raised the s

r still!" whispe

nister, roughly; and again he

ed to see the hand she had reached out to him involuntarily. Yet assuredly Lady Dromar

e cricket week, we might do worse than ask these people from the rectory. You must

n to it," said Lord Manister, with a smooth ceremony that had a sharper edge than h

urq

independent people in th

th careless contempt; "but we can really do without them, and I am

ce in his anxiety-"you misunderstand me entirely! I'm not great on a dance at all, but if we're t